Wimbledon, Day 1, 29 June, Order of Play

[Kieran]

CENTRE COURT: 1PM

Gentlemen's Singles - First Round
Novak Djokovic(SRB) [1] v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)

Ladies' Singles - First Round
Maria Sharapova(RUS) [4] v Johanna Konta (GBR)

Gentlemen's Singles - First Round
Stan Wawrinka(SUI) [4] v Joao Sousa (POR)

No.1 COURT: 1:00pm

Ladies' Singles - First Round
Serena Williams(USA) [1] v Margarita Gasparyan (RUS)

Gentlemen's Singles - First Round
Simone Bolelli(ITA) v Kei Nishikori (JPN) [5]

Gentlemen's Singles - First Round
Grigor Dimitrov(BUL) [11] v Federico Delbonis (ARG)

No. 2 COURT: 11.30am

Gentlemen's Singles - First Round
Nick Kyrgios(AUS) [26] v Diego Schwartzman (ARG)

Gentlemen's Singles - First Round
Jarkko Nieminen(FIN) v Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)

Ladies' Singles - First Round
Alison Riske(USA) v Lucie Safarova (CZE) [6]

Ladies' Singles - First Round
Heather Watson(GBR) v Caroline Garcia (FRA) [32]

Full schedule here.

 

[tossip]

so the 5 times champion and no.1 player who holds all slams doesnt deserve to play on Centre Court....this is so blatantly disrespectful on so many levels.Djokovic is respected as no.1 and Serena is not...this court scheduling is so disturbing and I hope Venus and Serena clean out the Wimbledon coffers.
this is becoming blatant as Serena is about to eclipse Steffi Graf...I really pray and hope she does..I now want a a Serena Slam and a Grand Slam..peace

 

[Kieran]

Novak is the defending champion, they always start on Centre Court, same as Kvitova on Tuesday. Serena opening on Court 1 isn't disrespectful at all. And it certainly has nothing to do with Steffi Graf... :cover

 

[tossip]

Novak is the defending champion, they always start on Centre Court, same as Kvitova on Tuesday. Serena opening on Court 1 isn't disrespectful at all. And it certainly has nothing to do with Steffi Graf... :cover

so Maria is a defending champion..:devil...Novak as the no.1 never plays on the outside courts at RG15 he never left the big court and he was not defending...the way they schedule Serena is always sexist and the other one...what is Maria doing on Centre Court when she has not won in 11yrs...put her on court 2 and see her lose....why are they always protecting her..

 

[Kirijax]

Novak is the defending champion, they always start on Centre Court, same as Kvitova on Tuesday. Serena opening on Court 1 isn't disrespectful at all. And it certainly has nothing to do with Steffi Graf... :cover

so Maria is a defending champion..:devil...Novak as the no.1 never plays on the outside courts at RG15 he never left the big court and he was not defending...the way they schedule Serena is always sexist and the other one...what is Maria doing on Centre Court when she has not won in 11yrs...put her on court 2 and see her lose....why are they always protecting her..

Simple. They want to get Sharapova on Centre Court quickly before she's sent home early.

 

[the AntiPusher]

so the 5 times champion and no.1 player who holds all slams doesnt deserve to play on Centre Court....this is so blatantly disrespectful on so many levels.Djokovic is respected as no.1 and Serena is not...this court scheduling is so disturbing and I hope Venus and Serena clean out the Wimbledon coffers.
this is becoming blatant as Serena is about to eclipse Steffi Graf...I really pray and hope she does..I now want a a Serena Slam and a Grand Slam..peace

What did you expect from a bunch of snotty folks who feel that we all should be privileged to watch their "colorless or all white " tournament. I take this time to spend with my wife and kids during the Summer time until some of my Rafael hating buddies calls to rag on how poorly Rafael or even Serena is playing. Life continues for me regardless what courts at that place they play on.

 

[kskate2]

It's the same argument every year. We just talked about this in the preview thread:

Court assignments and scheduling is alot different than a draw. No one is making a draw easy for her. But the other factors are at the discretion of the tournament directors. We've had this discussion before every year and you all know why. Wimby likes blondes and really attractive women on Centre Court. That's the way they schedule and there's no changing them about that. Might as well get over it because in a couple of weeks time, you'll have the same complaint.

No, I am not making this up. Here is the proof . But, to be fair they did not say that it is the only factor or even that it is the primary factor. However, they did admit on record that it is one of the factors. I am not saying that just because they admitted, it is alright to do so. But, I do appreciate them openly admitting it instead of giving some fake arguments to justify their assignments.

Thanks GSM. I wonder who decides who the "hot chicks" are? For the record, I consider Serena way "hotter" than Sharapova. We all have our preferences. So I guess the Wimbledon officials are going for the white male general preference of the skinny white blondes? How diverse and broadminded of them. But I still hold out hope that the Wimbledon officials in all their wisdom will choose tennis over looks.

You can keep hope alive my brother, but know this. They only have one WTA match on Centre Court during the early rounds and you'll see alot of natural and bottle blondes. Mark my words...

 

[GameSetAndMath]

so the 5 times champion and no.1 player who holds all slams doesnt deserve to play on Centre Court....this is so blatantly disrespectful on so many levels.Djokovic is respected as no.1 and Serena is not...this court scheduling is so disturbing and I hope Venus and Serena clean out the Wimbledon coffers.
this is becoming blatant as Serena is about to eclipse Steffi Graf...I really pray and hope she does..I now want a a Serena Slam and a Grand Slam..peace

Apart from the "looks" reason, they do have a legitimate reason to put Dominatrix on the centre court. She is playing a British Player who did well in a warm-up event. In fact, Konta even has a very mild chance of upsetting Maria. On the other hand, Serena is playing a nobody. So, just Relax.

 

[kskate2]

so the 5 times champion and no.1 player who holds all slams doesnt deserve to play on Centre Court....this is so blatantly disrespectful on so many levels.Djokovic is respected as no.1 and Serena is not...this court scheduling is so disturbing and I hope Venus and Serena clean out the Wimbledon coffers.
this is becoming blatant as Serena is about to eclipse Steffi Graf...I really pray and hope she does..I now want a a Serena Slam and a Grand Slam..peace

Apart from the "looks" reason, they do have a legitimate reason to put Dominatrix on the centre court. She is playing a British Player who did well in a warm-up event. In fact, Konta even has a very mild chance of upsetting Maria. On the other hand, Serena is playing a nobody. So, just Relax.

Following the logic that they put Konta on CC because she is a Brit means they really soiled their diapers. Why not put the British #1 (Watson) on CC, who also played well during the warm-ups?

 

[GameSetAndMath]

so the 5 times champion and no.1 player who holds all slams doesnt deserve to play on Centre Court....this is so blatantly disrespectful on so many levels.Djokovic is respected as no.1 and Serena is not...this court scheduling is so disturbing and I hope Venus and Serena clean out the Wimbledon coffers.
this is becoming blatant as Serena is about to eclipse Steffi Graf...I really pray and hope she does..I now want a a Serena Slam and a Grand Slam..peace

Apart from the "looks" reason, they do have a legitimate reason to put Dominatrix on the centre court. She is playing a British Player who did well in a warm-up event. In fact, Konta even has a very mild chance of upsetting Maria. On the other hand, Serena is playing a nobody. So, just Relax.

Following the logic that they put Konta on CC because she is a Brit means they really soiled their diapers. Why not put the British #1 (Watson) on CC, who also played well during the warm-ups?

Come on, it is not just about Konta being British. It is also about she playing against a top player.
If Heather was playing Serena, I am sure they would have put Heather vs. Serena on centre court and pushed Screampova aside. Heather is playing Caroline Garcia who is neither a crowd favorite, nor a marquee player. IMO, the scheduling is just fine.

 

[kskate2]

Apart from the "looks" reason, they do have a legitimate reason to put Dominatrix on the centre court. She is playing a British Player who did well in a warm-up event. In fact, Konta even has a very mild chance of upsetting Maria. On the other hand, Serena is playing a nobody. So, just Relax.

Following the logic that they put Konta on CC because she is a Brit means they really soiled their diapers. Why not put the British #1 (Watson) on CC, who also played well during the warm-ups?

Come on, it is not just about Konta being British. It is also about she playing against a top player.
If Heather was playing Serena, I am sure they would have put Heather vs. Serena on centre court and pushed Screampova aside. Heather is playing Caroline Garcia who is neither a crowd favorite, nor a marquee player. IMO, the scheduling is just fine.

I don't have a problem w/ the scheduling as it's expected from them. My argument was if she was put on CC because she was a Brit, then they really did a disservice to their #1.

I think we all know why Konta is on CC. She's playing a blonde former champ.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Following the logic that they put Konta on CC because she is a Brit means they really soiled their diapers. Why not put the British #1 (Watson) on CC, who also played well during the warm-ups?

Come on, it is not just about Konta being British. It is also about she playing against a top player.
If Heather was playing Serena, I am sure they would have put Heather vs. Serena on centre court and pushed Screampova aside. Heather is playing Caroline Garcia who is neither a crowd favorite, nor a marquee player. IMO, the scheduling is just fine.

I don't have a problem w/ the scheduling as it's expected from them. My argument was if she was put on CC because she was a Brit, then they really did a disservice to their #1.

I think we all know why Konta is on CC. She's playing a blonde former champ.

Scheduling is always based on a combination of factors. "looks" is a factor as they admitted.
Being a british player is a factor and they make no bones of it either. The match being fairly competitive is also a factor. Being a top player is a factor. Being a crowd favorite is also a factor.
Considering all of these, I think their schedule is just fine for the opening day. I am not saying their schedules are always fine.

Incidentally, I think even if we remove the "looks" factor, the schedule is fine, at least for the opening day.

 

[tossip]

Heather never gets the respect she deserves,she has already won a title and she is always an afterthought at Wimbledon.All of sudden Konta is the hottest thing since sliced bread because of beating players like Muguruza who I observed is not good on grass....too much of a coincidence that a brit plays pova in 1st rd just to justify this disrespect.This nonsense has been going on from AO15 RG15 now to Wimbledon....the good thing is pova will be gone soon.

 

[tossip]

Come on, it is not just about Konta being British. It is also about she playing against a top player.
If Heather was playing Serena, I am sure they would have put Heather vs. Serena on centre court and pushed Screampova aside. Heather is playing Caroline Garcia who is neither a crowd favorite, nor a marquee player. IMO, the scheduling is just fine.

I don't have a problem w/ the scheduling as it's expected from them. My argument was if she was put on CC because she was a Brit, then they really did a disservice to their #1.

I think we all know why Konta is on CC. She's playing a blonde former champ.

Scheduling is always based on a combination of factors. "looks" is a factor as they admitted.
Being a british player is a factor and they make no bones of it either. The match being fairly competitive is also a factor. Being a top player is a factor. Being a crowd favorite is also a factor.
Considering all of these, I think their schedule is just fine for the opening day. I am not saying their schedules are always fine.

Incidentally, I think even if we remove the "looks" factor, the schedule is fine, at least for the opening day.

Maria is not a crowd favorite.....she is shoved down our throats...if you are talking about looks then Ana.. Cetkovska..Vekic..should be on Centre Court.Evian sponsors Wimbledon and is one of pova s sponsors so its favoritism...I remember when Dulko humiliated pova on CC hopefully there is a player out there who can take her on...

 

[Kieran]

Can't believe this is an argument. serena is on court 1. They choose matches from the fans perspective too, so they give the fans on court 1 a legend to watch, as well. It's not rocket salad. But nor is there any grassy knoll stuff going on here. maybe to keep her rabid fans cheerful they should just schedule serena to play every match on centre court? And Venus too, just so's nobody thinks race is an issue.

Plus, Konta + Maria >> than Heather + WTF.

This is a non-story. The scheduling is fine and fair.

 

[tossip]

its not fair for pova no.4 ranked player who last won this event 11yrs ago to play on the big court just because Evian water is her sponsor..
how is Konta better than Heather who actually won a title and is the higher ranked Brit...its the same scenario as Serena......unfortunately Heather is not celebrated the same way Serena is not celebrated...go figure

 

[Kieran]

Evian-Watergate! :cover

 

[GameSetAndMath]

its not fair for pova no.4 ranked player who last won this event 11yrs ago to play on the big court just because Evian water is her sponsor..
how is Konta better than Heather who actually won a title and is the higher ranked Brit...its the same scenario as Serena......unfortunately Heather is not celebrated the same way Serena is not celebrated...go figure

Nobody said Heather is better than Konta. The only assertion made was that

Maria + Konta >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Heather + Caroline.

It is a no-brainer.

Serena destroying an unknown and drinking Margarita will be highly uncompetitive match for the centre court.

 

[Calvy]

its not fair for pova no.4 ranked player who last won this event 11yrs ago to play on the big court just because Evian water is her sponsor..
how is Konta better than Heather who actually won a title and is the higher ranked Brit...its the same scenario as Serena......unfortunately Heather is not celebrated the same way Serena is not celebrated...go figure

Nobody said Heather is better than Konta. The only assertion made was that

Maria + Konta >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Heather + Caroline.

It is a no-brainer.

Serena destroying an unknown and drinking Margarita will be highly uncompetitive match for the centre court.

So, do you believe if Federer was half way to the Grand Slam, and he were playing a qualifier and Djokovic was scheduled to play, say, David Ward, that Federer would be put on Court 1?

 

[tossip]

its not fair for pova no.4 ranked player who last won this event 11yrs ago to play on the big court just because Evian water is her sponsor..
how is Konta better than Heather who actually won a title and is the higher ranked Brit...its the same scenario as Serena......unfortunately Heather is not celebrated the same way Serena is not celebrated...go figure

Nobody said Heather is better than Konta. The only assertion made was that

Maria + Konta >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Heather + Caroline.

It is a no-brainer.

Serena destroying an unknown and drinking Margarita will be highly uncompetitive match for the centre court.

aaagh.. Caroline Garcia is a brunette french of Spanish descent and Heather is a black girl..
it will be a kick in that place where the sun wont shine when Serena lifts that Rosewater dish and the cheque..